1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector in which a condition of half-fitting between a pair of male and female connectors to be fitted and connected together is positively prevented by resiliency of a resilient member mounted on a housing of at least one of the two connectors, and the connector can be easily and positively fitted and disengaged relative to the mating connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electronic devices for various controls are mounted on a current automobile, and naturally many wire harnesses and flat cables are used. Automobiles are used in a severe environment in which the automobile is subjected to vibration and submerging. Therefore, in view of the assembling process and the maintenance, half-fitting prevention connectors with a waterproof function have been used to easily connect and disconnect wires such as wire harnesses.
An example of a conventional half-fitting prevention connector will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. A pin-side connector 50 has a plurality of pin contacts 52 arranged therein, and has a pair of mounting flanges 50a formed respectively at opposite sides thereof. A socket-side connector 51 has a plurality of socket contacts 53 arranged therein, and wires 53a are connected to the socket contacts 53, respectively.
The pin-side connector 50 includes a box-shaped housing 54 having an open front side, and a guide plate 55 for guiding the fitting of the socket-side connector 51 is mounted centrally of the height within the housing 54, and divides the interior of the housing 54 into an upper portion and a lower portion. As shown in FIG. 8, within the housing 54, the pin contacts 52 extend from a rear portion of the housing toward the front side thereof. A notch is formed in a central portion of a top plate 54b of the housing 54, and a forwardly-directed engagement piece portion 56 is formed integrally with the top plate 54b, and is disposed in this notch. A distal end of the engagement piece portion 56 terminates short of the front edge of the top plate 54b, and can be slightly elastically bent outwardly. An inwardly-directed engagement projection 56a is formed on the distal end of the engagement piece portion 56.
The socket-side connector 51 includes a box-shaped housing 57, and has such a size as to be fitted into the opening in the housing 54 of the pin-side connector 50. Pin holes 58 for respectively receiving the pin contacts 52, and a slot 59 for receiving the guide plate 55 are provided in the front side of the housing 57.
A movable cover 60 is fitted on the housing 57 for movement back and forth, and covers the housing 57 except front and rear end portions thereof. An opening 61 for receiving the pin-side connector 50 is formed through the movable cover 60. The opening 61 has such a size as to receive opposite side plates 54a, the top plate 54b and a bottom plate 54c of the housing 54, but the distal end of the engagement projection 56a of the engagement piece portion 56 abuts against the edge of the opening 61, thereby preventing the housing 54 from being inserted into the opening 61.
A pair of opposed spring receiving portions (not shown) are formed respectively at opposite side portions of the movable cover 60 and hence at opposite side portions of the housing 57, and springs 64 are received respectively in the spring receiving portions as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 7, each of the springs 64 extending in the forward-backward direction. The movable cover 60 is normally urged forward (that is, left in FIG. 7) by the springs 64, and is retained by slots 65, formed through an upper wall of the movable cover 60, and projections 66 formed on the upper surface of the housing 57. An engagement groove 67 is formed in the upper surface of the housing 57, and the engagement projection 56a of the engagement piece portion 56 is engaged in the engagement groove 67 when the two connectors are completely connected together. The engagement groove 67 is normally concealed by the movable cover 60, and appears when the movable cover 60 is moved.
When the two connectors 50 and 51 are fitted together, the pin contacts 52 contact the socket contacts 53, respectively, and the engagement projection 56a is engaged in the engagement groove 67, as shown in FIG. 8. In this engaged condition, the springs 64 are compressed, and the engagement piece portion 56 is covered by the movable cover 60, so that the engagement projection 56a can not be disengaged from the engagement groove 67, thereby positively maintaining the connected condition.
On the other hand, when the completely-fitted condition is not achieved, that is, a half-fitted condition is encountered, the distal end of the engagement piece portion 56 abuts against the edge of the opening 61 in the movable cover 60, and the springs 64 are compressed. Therefore, the movable cover 60 presses the engagement piece portion 56 under the influence of the springs 64, and therefore the two connectors 50 and 51 are urged away from each other, and can not be fitted together at all.
In the above connectors, the half-fitting can be prevented, but when the two connectors are to be fitted together while holding the opposite side surfaces of the movable cover 60 with the hand, the movable cover 60 fails to be moved, so that the fitting can not be achieved, thus inviting a problem that the operability is poor since the applied force can not be effectively used.
Besides, in the completely-fitted condition, the engagement piece portion 56 is not covered by the housing 57, and therefore when an external force acts on the movable cover 60, the movable cover 60 can be easily moved, so that the fitted condition of the connectors can be accidentally released.
Furthermore, when the connectors 50 and 51 are to be disengaged from each other, the housing 54 of the connector 50 is withdrawn while rearwardly moving the movable cover 60 on the connector 51, and therefore this disengagement operation is very difficult and complicated.